Persian Nights in Ealing Common

After grabbing many a takeaway from Persian Nights in nearby Ealing Common, we finally sat down to eat at the establishment with Blai’s parents when they visited over the new year. Knowing that they are very generous with the portion sizes, we insisted on ordering three main courses between the four of us and skipping starters.

First was a weekend special of Zereshk Polo, a stewed chicken dish served with rice topped with barberries, almonds and pistachios (£7.95). While the chicken is fine, it’s the rice that’s the star, with the tart barberries. Utterly addictive.

We also had a Chelo Kebab e Koobideh, two minced lamb kebabs served with rice (£6.95). I’ve always loved these Persian kebabs and these were especially fine and tender. And see that butter? Yeah, melt that over your rice. They can also be served with freshly baked flatbread instead of rice.

Finally, one of Persian cuisine’s most famous stews – Khoreshte e Fesenjan, a stew of chicken in a sauce made of walnuts and pomegranate puree (£8.95). This was luscious and so much more complex than we imagined. It’s definitely a firm favourite of ours now. This was served with another pile of perfectly steamed rice.

And even with just three dishes, we packed up enough leftovers for another meal for one! Portion sizes are huge!

We still found space for dessert though! I shared an order of Bastani with Blai. This Persian ice cream was saffron flavoured and studded with pistachios and chips of frozen cream. It was just the right size to share too after the huge meal.

I do recommend their bread and starters (though I’m not a fan of their Salad Olivier) and their rice with broad beans and dill served with lamb. Reviews online are very mixed though and I do hope they keep the high level of quality and service that I’ve experienced.